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Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology

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Faiyad: Haram means "sacred precinct" and denotes  protected zone or a holy place of worship. It comes from the same Arabic root of the word “forbidden”, showing that al-haram is a place where certain actions and behaviors are not allowed. Because the word refers to sites of significant importance, the cities (more importantly, the mosques) of Mecca and Medina are considered the two major haramayn (dual plural). The primary holy site in Mecca is known as Masjid al-Haram.

 Santiago: Haram can not only mean forbidden but also sacred. It has an association with a sanctuary or a holy site in Islam. 

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Posted at Mar 10/2011 07:46PM:
ian: Don't forget Jerusalem. How is this connected to the idea and institution of the mosque?